BearcatSA Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Even though I tried to watch as many games as I could via Gem, I found the overall play a fall off from what I saw at the WWC last year. The final was much more a battle of wills with technique coming in a distant second: lots of poor passing, poor pass decisions, and struggles with first touch. No doubt heat and fatigue were factors but you alleviate those when you keep the ball more with better decision making in the pattern of olay. Like our keeper did, the US keeper still had to make some massive key saves but in the end the American front three is very fast and the slower Brazilian defenders ended up being exposed by them. My bias clearly shows here but to me it's still an elite track team that "out-athletes" opponents, with some individual skill in big moments (i.e. Rodman's finish vs Japan). So mixed feelings with the overall play in this tourney but I am looking foward to Brazil in '27 and for us to put it all together in a WWC. The question going foward is how we build towards it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 4 minutes ago, BearcatSA said: So mixed feelings with the overall play in this tourney but I am looking foward to Brazil in '27 and for us to put it all together in a WWC. The question going foward is how we build towards it. We need to find a consistent goal scorer. Huitema, Lacasse, Leon, Viens and Beckie can score once in a while, but we rely way too much on Gilles or Buchanon getting their heads on a corner, especially against fellow top ten teams. BearcatSA and Unnamed Trialist 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 11 minutes ago, Ivan said: We need to find a consistent goal scorer. Huitema, Lacasse, Leon, Viens and Beckie can score once in a while, but we rely way too much on Gilles or Buchanon getting their heads on a corner, especially against fellow top ten teams. They all have particular strengths but each individually does not have enough of a complete game. That's why I call this group a forward-by-committee used for their specifc roles as required by the game situations. Ivan and Unnamed Trialist 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 On 8/9/2024 at 11:10 AM, Ivan said: Arguably, the best in Canadian soccer. Rusted's commentary is solid. Her delivery is unpolished and lacks enthusiasm. That said, she could still be the best soccer colour analyst in Canadian soccer. Who is her competition? The Scottish guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) 36 minutes ago, jonovision said: Rusted's commentary is solid. Her delivery is unpolished and lacks enthusiasm. That said, she could still be the best soccer colour analyst in Canadian soccer. Who is her competition? The Scottish guy? Yeah Caldwell for sure. Onesoccer has a bunch as well. Conway, Forrest once in a while, Brennan, Platt and Wilson. Haven't heard Hume in a while. Of those, probably prefer Caldwell, Forrest and Platt. Edited August 11 by Ivan Omission Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soro17 Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 7 hours ago, BearcatSA said: Even though I tried to watch as many games as I could via Gem, I found the overall play a fall off from what I saw at the WWC last year. The final was much more a battle of wills with technique coming in a distant second: lots of poor passing, poor pass decisions, and struggles with first touch. No doubt heat and fatigue were factors but you alleviate those when you keep the ball more with better decision making in the pattern of olay. Like our keeper did, the US keeper still had to make some massive key saves but in the end the American front three is very fast and the slower Brazilian defenders ended up being exposed by them. My bias clearly shows here but to me it's still an elite track team that "out-athletes" opponents, with some individual skill in big moments (i.e. Rodman's finish vs Japan). So mixed feelings with the overall play in this tourney but I am looking foward to Brazil in '27 and for us to put it all together in a WWC. The question going foward is how we build towards it. I found Smith, Rodman and Swanson to all be excellent (as much as I hate acknowledging it). They are all much more than just athletes and are entering their prime years. The keeper was also excellent. They have a weak mid-field, but if they get that sorted, we might be seeing another spell of strong US performances after a few off years, particularly with the coaching sideshow seemingly settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red card Posted August 12 Author Share Posted August 12 23 hours ago, BearcatSA said: They all have particular strengths but each individually does not have enough of a complete game. That's why I call this group a forward-by-committee used for their specifc roles as required by the game situations. I also found the play lethargic in absolute terms and certainly relative to last year's World Cup. Hot weather was a factor in some matches. Playing before half empty stadiums and lacklustre supporter engagement didn't help. It appeared women's football had the worst % capacity attendance at the Paris Olympics. Canada v New Zealand had less than 3k in the stands. None of the France matches sold out. On the pitch, it looked like the teams and players have plateaued. Ex Zambia, all teams looked tactically astute which led to neutralizing each other. Of the final 4 from the World Cup, Spain & Australia took a step back or worse and 2 weren't at the Olympics. USA & Brasil were the most improved from last year but not in terms of style appeal. Improvements were largely due to better management and system upgrades. Ex Banda, there were no individual players that stepped out to carry their team. Ramirez could have been another but missed 2 matches due to red card and then pulled early in quarters due to an injury. rkomar and Unnamed Trialist 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 5 hours ago, red card said: I also found the play lethargic in absolute terms and certainly relative to last year's World Cup. Hot weather was a factor in some matches. Playing before half empty stadiums and lacklustre supporter engagement didn't help. It appeared women's football had the worst % capacity attendance at the Paris Olympics. Canada v New Zealand had less than 3k in the stands. None of the France matches sold out. On the pitch, it looked like the teams and players have plateaued. Ex Zambia, all teams looked tactically astute which led to neutralizing each other. Of the final 4 from the World Cup, Spain & Australia took a step back or worse and 2 weren't at the Olympics. USA & Brasil were the most improved from last year but not in terms of style appeal. Improvements were largely due to better management and system upgrades. Ex Banda, there were no individual players that stepped out to carry their team. Ramirez could have been another but missed 2 matches due to red card and then pulled early in quarters due to an injury. There's another little detail, just to engage: the players have longer, more demanding seasons, in tougher leagues, play Champions League, then this tournament has slightly shorter rest periods between games. I say this as the Spanish core, from Barcelona, looked exhausted, they were not fresh at all, they played like they were mentally saturated and going through the motions. This is a further challenge for the women's game, the WC is more important and more critical, the Olympics will be harder to manage and has lost importance, but the overall demand on players is rising and they'll all have to adjust to professional demands. red card 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 Recent Footy Prime podcast featuring Gabrielle Carle and Evelyne Viens is well worth a listen. JamboAl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Was there an official best XI announced for this tourney? I saw a couple of blogger post suggestions and that was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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